Hoher Kasten Airshow 2025, Mai 30th

 After last years one-night visit in Appenzell due my biketrip from Fribourg to Schaffhausen it was clear - I've got to revisit this area again. So I planned one week in Appenzell, this time the Fully EMTB was taken with.

One of the booked visits was the training day to the Airshow Hoher Kasten, a 1794m high mountain  above the Rhein River and at the border to Lichtenstein, Austria and Germany near the lake of constance. The aircrafts are flying around the peak, sometimes a bit lower for nice pictures.

Hoher Kasten: https://www.hoherkasten.ch/en/

Appenzell Tourism: https://www.appenzell.ch/en/home.html

The event and the location was well organised, only the traffic jam on the cable cabin because of very much people with this nice weather was a bit a downfall and a lot of people missed the last public transport to the railway. We informed the organisators and this will not happen again.

The price for the cablecar is quite high, also for Switzerland. I was happy to have the Appenzeller Holiday Card of Appenzell Tourism (if you are booking your stay for more than 3 nights its included), with many goodies like free transport in the area and on Hoher Kasten, Ebenalp and Kronberg mountain.

Next time I will probably bike up to Kamor/Trestenkopf for the Show 🚵

Pilatus PC-12 PRO unveiled

 A few minutes ago the live stream has ended - watch it on the YouTube Channel of Pilatus Aircraft Ltd

Presentation of the Pilatus PC-12 PRO with a new Cockpit and the Safe-Landing-Button 👍

(screencrabs of the youtube-film)

As I am not a specialist about Business Aircraft, I am not worthy to write very much about this new evolution. But I think there where some very good engineers at it and Pilatus will sell many, many more of the famous Pilatus PC-12 aircraft.

PC-7 Team schedule for 2025

 

The approved and published Display dates for this incredible Team - Aviation is an Art and you have to watch them whenever possible 💕

Airshow Neuchâtel - July 05th, 2025

One of the interesting shows not only for the program, but also for the landscape at the biggest lake of Switzerland (completely in Switzerland) this summer

- Patrouille Suisse (remember, our F-5E/F Tiger Jets will be end of life in 2027)

- Classic Formation 

- PC-21 Display

stay tuned 

30 years of SPORTHILFE

Another view into my archive ... this time nearly an quarter of an century back in the summer of 2000. There I've loaded my bicycle with my photo gear (main gear that time was an Nikon F4S and Sigma's 170-500mm lens) and rode about 2 hours from Emmen Airfield to the Bürgenstock mountain. No radio scanner available - just waiting for the show going on.

Parts of my gear back then - the beloved Cannondale 3T700 was stolen one year later and never came back

There was an celebration for the 30th anniversary of Switzerland's Sporthilfe (Swiss Sports Aid), an private Foundation and one of the most important sports organizations in the country. The official announcement was about 300 Top Athletes, multiple sport disciplines for testing (BMX Parcours, those where the days) and the famous Swiss Air Force Display Team Patrouille Suisse.

1st surprise where the two flybyes of Airbus A321 HB-IOC (the olympic one - International Olympic Commitee, nice preparation for an sports event) of Swissair, 2nd Surprise was an power demo of Pilatus Aircraft Ltd's flagship back then, the famous Pilatus PC-9.  Other participants like the mixed Pilatus formation, the two Junkers Ju-52 and the Super Puma Display Team where also not known to me as I'm remember. The Patrouille Suisse was no Surprise, but a nice catch anyway.

 

End of an era - final flights of Swiss Air Force's Pilatus PC-9

After 34 years in duty by the Swiss Air Force, there last three Pilatus PC-9 made the final flights in the last couple of weeks. Our Air-to-Air Session was cancelled due fog, but we where happy to find an nice place on a hill in the Jura mountains ... Thank you @air-to-air.ch

PC-24 of Swiss Air Force sold

 

(picture/text by VBS/DDPS)

Swiss Air Force's Jet PC-24 (Immatriculation T-786) - mainly in use by the government - was sold to JoyVida International AG, Interlaken.

Bundesratsjet Pilatus PC-24 verkauft

Bern, 10.10.2022 - Das Unternehmen JoyVida International AG, Interlaken hat beim Bundesamt für Rüstung armasuisse das beste Angebot für den Bundesratsjet Pilatus PC-24 eingereicht und den Zuschlag erhalten. Das Flugzeug wird bis November der neuen Besitzerin übergeben.

An seiner Sitzung vom 16. Februar 2022 hat der Bundesrat das Eidgenössische Departement für Verteidigung, Bevölkerungsschutz und Sport (VBS) beauftragt, die PC-24 von Pilatus zu veräussern. Dies, weil die PC-24 von Bundesrat und den Departementen zum einen nur wenig nachgefragt wurde und dieses Flugzeug zum anderen aufgrund des jungen Alters und des sehr guten Zustandes aktuell noch einen hohen Verkaufswert hat.

Mit diesem Grundsatzentscheid des Bundesrates und dem anschliessenden Ausserdienststellungsauftrag durch die Armee, konnte das Bundesamt für Rüstung armasuisse den Verkaufsprozess für die PC-24 auslösen. Das Flugzeug wurde auf der Internetseite von armasuisse zum Verkauf ausgeschrieben und die Offerten anschliessend durch die Spezialisten von armasuisse geprüft.

Übergabe bis Ende November

Die Käuferin des PC-24, das Unternehmen JoyVida International AG, Interlaken, hat das beste Angebot eingereicht und somit den Zuschlag erhalten. Der Rüstungschef hat den Verkaufsvertrag unterschrieben, sodass die Übergabe an die Käuferin bis Ende November 2022 abgewickelt werden kann. Der marktgängige Verkaufspreis übersteigt den damaligen Erwerbspreis.

Bis zur Übergabe wird die Pilatus PC-24 auf den zivilen Standard zurückgerüstet und die militärische Immatrikulation (T-786) aus dem Luftfahrzeug-Register der Luftwaffe gelöscht.

Weiterentwicklung der Flugzeug-Flotte

Der Lufttransportdienst des Bundes (LTDB) betreibt verschiedene Luftfahrzeuge, die zugunsten der Landesregierung, der Departemente, der Bundesämter und der Armee eingesetzt werden. Zurzeit prüft das VBS Optionen für die Weiterentwicklung der Flotte der «Bundesratsjets».

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Adresse für Rückfragen

Kaj-Gunnar Sievert
Leiter Kommunikation armasuisse
+41 58 464 62 47

International Airshow Buochs, August 26th/27th, 1994

Let's start with our DeLorean back to one of the most iconic shows in my youth, the Air'94 with the Good Bye to our Hunters. Charged with a few films with 24 and 36 pictures each and an Minolta Dynax with up to 300mm kit lens it was ok, with today's knowledge I whould chose other positions and invest a minimum two days visit...

Lineup was massive, from US Hercules and Eagles to german Tornado and Czeck Su-22; display teams from France, Italy and Spain and of course the Swiss Air Force. 80 Years Swiss Air Force and 30 Years of Patrouille Suisse have to be celebrated !